Strings and bows

Miguel Atwood-Ferguson has worked with Ray Charles and Rihanna; now this child prodigy turned jazzluminary has released agorgeous debutalbum

-  Ammar Kalia

Chances are you have already heard Miguel Atwood-Ferguson's work. You may not know who the LA-based composer and strings player is, but if you've listened to contemporary American music or watched recent TV and film from the US, you will have likely heard the sound of his bow sweeping across orchestral strings.

Softly spoken and typically dressed down in a washed-out T-shirt and sweatpants, AtwoodFerguson, 43, is the unassuming presence behind orchestrations for everyone from Ray Charles to Stevie Wonder, via Quincy Jones, Rihanna, Dr Dre and the Roots. In the past decade, he has become a key part of the west coast beats and jazz scene that coalesced around artists such as the producer Flying Lotus, saxophonist Kamasi Washington and bassist Thundercat, all releasing on Flying Lotus's label Brainfeeder. Bridging classical, jazz, hip-hop and pop, Atwood-Ferguson is the go-to guy to provide spaces of instrumental beauty in busy sound worlds.